title: Patient-centered medical homes: will health care reform provide new options for rural communities and providers?
abstract: Many are calling for the expansion of the patient-centered medical home model into rural and underserved populations as a transformative strategy to address issues of access, efficiency, quality, and sustainability in the delivery of health care. Patient-centered medical homes have been touted as a promising cost-saving model for comprehensive management of persons with chronic diseases and disabilities, but it is unclear how rural practitioners in medically underserved areas will implement the patient-centered medical home. This article examines how the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act of 2010 will enhance rural providers' ability to provide patient-centered care and services contemplated under the Act in a comprehensive, coordinated, cost-effective way despite leaner budgets and health workforce shortages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health, College Station, TX 77843, USA. jbolin@srph.tamhsc.edu
authors.forename: Jane N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Bolin
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gamm
authors.forename: Joshua R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Vest
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Edwardson
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D012424:Rural Population; D014481:United States